Family Bonding
by disneyanimationfan
Summary: Stan goes down to Piedmont to bond with his nephew, Mr. Pines. Also see what happens when Dipper and Mabel, infants at the time, get separated even for just over 24 hours. Family; angst.
Friday, August 25, 2000. 9:50 PM. Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Stanley Pines is in his brother's underground laboratory. He is fiddling with one of the miscellaneous machinery that supposedly operates the interdimensional portal.

"Come on, come on, should be just enough to finish the job," Stan mumbled as he tampered with the various wires and unrecognizable parts.

After a few more minutes of mindless rearranging, Stan let out a large exhale and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He put down his tools and went into the room that contained the portal. He jiggled with the level, and pressed the button on it once, twice. No reaction.

Stan let out a sigh. He walked back into the main laboratory and slouched down into the swivel chair in front of the main portal controls, located below a window overlooking the device itself.

Stan stared off into space for some time, before his eyes caught a glimpse of a photo frame perched on the desk stand. Stan lowered his gaze to the picture. It is a photo of his great niece and nephew. The twin infants are asleep in the picture, pressed against each other. It could simply be an illusion, but Stan believes he could make out a slight smile on both of their faces.

Stan took the photo and made a good long stare at it. The twins holding on to each other while sleeping is a sure sign to him that their relationship will never fall apart, and will stick together until the ends of the Earth.

"When did things become so messed up between us, Stanford?" Stan sighed. A teardrop fell on the Big Dipper birthmark on his great nephew in the photo. He used his sleeve to wipe it off.

Stan put the photo frame back and wiped his eyes. He saw with the corner of his eye a calendar hooked up on the wall. The date August 31 is circled in red.

Stan got up, grabbed his lantern, and went back up into the Shack.

Saturday, August 26, 2000. 6:30 PM. Oakland's main bus terminal.

"It's really nice of you to come over for my children's birthday, Uncle Stanford," Mr. Pines said as he and his uncle walked to the parking lot of the bus terminal.

"It's their first birthday. Of course I have to be there. They are family," Stan said. "And besides, I haven't really talked to you since Shermie's funeral."

Mr. Pines sighed at the mention of his late father's name. But it had been around six months since he passed away, and Mr. Pined has already moved on. Mr. Pines shook off his sadness.

As Mr. Pines approached his car, he pressed on his key, unlocking the vehicle. He opened the driver's door, got in, and opened the sedan's trunk. Stan put his single suitcase into it, slammed it shut, and boarded the back row. Mr. Pines started up the car and drove off back towards Piedmont.

When Stan entered the house, he was met with the sound of a baby crying. In the living room, Mrs. Pines is sitting on the couch trying to feed Mason medicine. Mabel is beside her, whimpering and tugging at her shirt.

"I'm sorry Mabel, but he's sick," Mrs. Pines said to her daughter. "I know you want to play with him, but you can't. He's contagious."

"Whoa, is Mason okay?" Stan asked as soon as he saw the flushed baby sobbing in Mrs. Pines' arms. He watched as Mabel whimpered more loudly and continued trying to get closer to her brother.

"Mason has had the flu for some time," Mr. Pines explained. He picked up a stuffed unicorn on the carpet and held it out to Mabel.

"Hey sweetie, here's Princess Love-a-corn," Mr. Pines said playfully as he rocked the unicorn back and forth with his hands.

Mabel did not respond to her father. She continued to reach for Mason, making it harder for Mrs. Pines to feed the boy the necessary medicine.

"Strange. The unicorn usually cheers her up," Mr. Pines commented. He picked up his daughter and carried her out of the living room, much to the infant's dismay.

Mrs. Pines finally managed to put the spoon of cold syrup into Mason's mouth. Mason spluttered, and continued crying, but much at a much softer volume. Mrs. Pines let out a huge sigh.

9:15 PM.

Stan is sitting in the guest room by the window, staring out at the quiet suburban environment of Piedmont. The only sounds being made are the crickets and the occasional car driving by.

Stan took out a wrinkled and molding picture from his suit. It is that of him and his brother as teenagers attending boxing lessons. Behind the two happily together on the ring is their father, stern and unimpressed as usual.

Stan frowned at the sight of his dad in the picture. However, his face soon slumped back to sadness.

"I really am a screw-up, am I, dad?" Stan sadly groaned to himself. "I did no more than send my brother into some unknown world. And for almost twenty years, I still…"

A Wilhelm scream. A car swerved violently and honked. Mr. Pines cursed.

Stan sighed and stuffed the picture back into his suit, and continued staring out at the everyday residential town.

Sunday, August 27, 2000. 9:20 AM.

Stan walked into the kitchen to find Mr. Pines packing meat and various vegetables into a cooler. Mabel is gloomily squatting next to him, and is doing no more than fidget with the stuffed unicorn in her hands.

"Why are you packing…charcoal and barbecue meat?" Stan asked.

"Oh, because I am actually taking you barbecuing," Mr. Pines said. "Over at the Marin Headlands. You can get an excellent view of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco from there."

"How far away is it?" Stan asked.

"Just take a look at the map I have spread out on the dining table."

Stan went over to the dining table and looked over the map of the San Francisco Bay Area. He located Piedmont, and managed to trace the possible route to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, where the Marin Headlands are.

"You've never crossed the Bay Bridge or the Golden Gate Bridge before," Mr. Pines said as he continued packing. "And I plan on bringing the whole family."

"I'm afraid not, dear," Mrs. Pines came into the kitchen holding Mason. Upon seeing his sister on the ground, Mason brightened up and extended his arms outward, as if trying to reach her. Mabel also noticed her brother, and also extended her arms towards him and started whimpering.

"Mason is still sick?"

"No, he's all better now. His temperature is normal, and he's not coughing or wheezing anymore," Mrs. Pines responded, trying to keep Mason in her arms. Soon the entire kitchen is filled with the sounds of the twin infants whimpering, wanting to be with each other.

"So we can bring him, yeah?" Mr. Pines asked as he watched his daughter crawl over to her mother.

"He may be better, but I think its best we keep him home for now," Mrs. Pines replied, noticing Mabel trying to climb her leg. "You can bring Stan and Mabel. I'll stay home to watch the boy."

Mrs. Pines bent down and picked up Mabel. She walked over to the living room and placed the two babies on the couch. As Mrs. Pines went back into the kitchen, Mabel crawled up against Mason and affectionately nuzzled at his neck, causing the boy to laugh. After happily engaging in some much-needed contact, the two are asleep.

At around 11:30 A.M., Mr. Pines has everything packed in the trunk of his car. Stan went into the living room where the twins are playing with each other.

"Come on Mabel, it's time for some quality family bonding with daddy and uncle," Stan said playfully as he picked up Mabel.

The smiles on the two babies' face almost instantly disappeared. As Mabel gets lifted, she tried getting out of Stan's grasp. Mason started whimpering and reaching for his sister. Mrs. Pines came over and picked up Mason.

"Have fun," she bid, trying to keep Mason in her arms. Soon both Mabel and Mason started crying, trying to break out of their respective holders so they could get back to each other. In the garage, Mr. Pines doesn't know why his daughter is crying out of the blue – she was just fed and had her diaper changed.

Mr. Pines' car passed the toll gate at the east end of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Stan had finally managed to get Mabel to stop crying, and she is now sleeping in Stan's arms. As usual, the Bay Bridge is packed with cars, which the traffic slowly inching westward on the upper ramp of the double-decker.

"I wonder why Mabel started crying. I don't know what she wants," Mr. Pines said.

"I think it's because she wants to be with Mason," Stan suggested from the back row. "The two didn't seem to look happy when they got separated,"

"Possible," Mr. Pines replied. "Come to think of it, I cannot recall a moment since they were born in which they were apart from each other. Even their doctor's appointments were always scheduled next to each other's."

"Ah, siblings' love for each other from a young age," Stan said. He stroked Mabel's hair.

Mr. Pines, through the rearview mirror, saw Stan's five-fingered right hand brushing Mabel's hair. He decided to ask what he had always wanted to but never got the opportunity.

"Hey, Uncle Stanford, I've been meaning to ask you," Mr. Pines started. "I thought you had six fingers. Why is it that you have five fingers?"

Stan is immediately hit with uneasiness. He had taken his six-fingered brother's identity after he faked his death back in 1982. And he had overlooked the one bluff to the disguise: the number of fingers.

"Oh, uh…" Stan tried saying. "It's _Stanley_ who has the six-fingers. My twin…who, who's been dead for 18 years."

"Funny, I remember my dad telling me _Stanford_ was the one with six-fingers," Mr. Pines replied suspiciously. "In this case, _you_."

"Well, uh, Shermie probably got his brothers crossed," Stan ad-libbed. "We made good impressions of each other. Sometimes we impersonated the other just to tick him off. And, uh, besides, uh…he – uh, I mean – _I_ never really visited you from, uh, 1970-ish to 1982-ish. You only knew me, through…pictures! And Shermie probably couldn't tell apart who was who, heh, heh."

"Could be. And I never knew where Stanley was since Grandpa kicked him out of the family, and he died in a car crash several years later," Mr. Pines said. "The only time dad took me to visit you two was when I was a baby. And of course I wouldn't remember anything."

"Yeah, heh…." Stan said.

"You were kind of reclusive between 1975 and 1982," Mr. Pines suddenly continued. "My dad said you never came over because you were 'busy'. So I've been wondering…how come starting from around 1983, you suddenly started bonding with your family more?"

"Well, I think I may have gotten, uh, some sort of _epiphany_ when, uh, I heard of Stanley's death," Stan improvised. "Some time after Stanley's funeral, I realized that I had cared more about my work than my family, and decided; maybe I should visit my other brother and his kids for once. And boom; now I'm here!"

"What have you been working on, anyways?" Mr. Pines asked. "Even after you started visiting your family more, you never brought up once what you have been working on in some town – what's its name? And is it in Oregon or Washington?"

"Uh, tourist attraction," Stan replied. "That's what I've been working on. You know, running a business…it takes a lot of devotion."

"Huh. Interesting." Mr. Pines shrugged. "But was running your so-called 'business' the reason why you skipped Grandpa's and later Grandma's funeral? They both died after you had your so-called 'epiphany'. If you started caring about your family more after Stanley's death, I would suppose you would take a week or two off to return to New Jersey for their passing."

"Well, to be honest…," Stan lied. "Yes. I was too absorbed in my business. And I have never forgiven myself for missing _both_ their funerals."

The car entered the tunnel running through Yerba Buena Island, indicating the vehicle's transition from the bridge's Oakland segment to its San Francisco segment.

Upon arriving at the Marin Headlands, Mabel woke up. She looked around to see if her brother is anywhere; he isn't. She started crying as soon as Mr. Pines and Stan entered the visitor center.

"Oh no, here we go again," Stan mumbled. "Come on, sweetie, what is it you want?" Stan asked, trying to act playful.

Mabel did not respond and continued crying. She waved her arms around, and slapped Stan by accident. Everyone in the visitor center is staring at Stan and the crying baby.

"I've got to call your wife," Stan said to Mr. Pines. He then went over to a nearby telephone stand, inserted a coin, and dialed the Pines' household.

Stan was met with the sound of a baby crying on the other end. However, upon hearing that sound, Mabel stopped crying, and started trying to grab the phone. Stan struggled to keep it away from Mabel.

"Hello? This is Stan," Stan said.

"Stanford? Is everything all right?" Mrs. Pines asked. Mason had also stopped crying when he heard his sister whimpering on the other end.

"Everything is fine, except…," Mabel's hands rubbed at Stan's cheek. "Mabel, she…I think she misses Mason. Whenever she is awake, she would cry."

"I think that's a reasonable assumption. Mason has since you left – no Mason, stay away, no – been crying for reasons I don't know why. He's never cried so intensely before. I guess this is what happens when we – I'm sorry, but mommy's busy – separate the two. Yeah, the two must miss each other badly."

"It's only noontime. Are the two really that desperate for each other?"

"Mason wouldn't eat anything. He wouldn't play or sleep. He would just cry, and cry…it's driving me nuts! I would think – Mason, no, NO!"

The line went dead.

"Hello? Hello!" Stan said to the beeping on the other end. Mason's whimpers can no longer be heard, and Mabel started crying again.

"Aw, you miss your brother, don't you?" Stan cooed. "I'm sure a little natural scenery can cheer you up. You ready to see the Pacific, dear?"

Mabel only slapped Stan's nose in response, and continued weeping, much to the annoyance of the others. Some can even be heard cursing the infant and the irresponsible middle-aged relative under their breath.

Mr. Pines pulled at his uncle's arm. "Come on, let's go."

The weather outside is nice. The sun is out, and there is no sign of the usual fog that covers the area almost every day. A cool sea breeze can be felt across the barbeque area, with an excellent view of the Golden Gate and the Pacific Ocean.

Mabel had stopped crying, but no matter what Stan did, be it funny faces or giving the stuffed unicorn to her, he could not get her to cheer up.

When Mr. Pines finished roasting the meat and veggies he packed, he set them all onto the picnic table. He and his nephew sat down to eat, with Stan occasionally trying to feed Mabel apple sauce, but only ended up with the paste on his face after each attempt.

"The Pacific Ocean is nice, yeah?" Mr. Pines suddenly commented.

Stan wiped the remaining apple sauce off his glasses. He put it back on and looked at the vast blue ocean. The sky had barely any clouds, and boats big and small can be seen scattered over the beautiful sea.

"It's nice, all right." Stan replied. He took a big bite out of a sausage, and nearly choked when he realized how hot it is. He swallowed the chunk without chewing it properly.

"I've…never really saw the Pacific before," Stan continued. "Reminds me of the Atlantic, back in New Jersey," Stan sighed, and looked down at his food.

"Hey, Stanford, is everything all right?" Mr. Pines asked his uncle.

"What? Oh, no, I'm fine," Stan insisted. In reality, memories of New Jersey coming back to him reminded him that he is still estranged from his brother. Not to mention – his brother could be anywhere, wherever that portal lead to.

For the rest of the day, Stan and Mr. Pines walked along the coast of the Marin Headlands, admiring the scenery they saw. They returned to the barbeque section and sat down on a bench to watch the sun set behind the Pacific.

"Look, Mabel, a sunset!" Mr. Pines pointed at the sun falling behind the horizon against the red-and-orange sky. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Mabel only babbled in response. She had been liked this for the entire day – whenever she isn't crying, she is simply in a bad mood.

"I think we should head home now," Stan suggested. "I've already lost count how many times she slapped me." Stan rubbed both his cheeks, having both been reddened whenever Mabel hit him in one of her fits.

"Yeah. This day was nice – except with Mabel kept crying and all that," Mr. Pines lifted Mabel up to his chest. "You miss Mason, I understand. We'll be going home soon, and you would be able to see him."

Mabel brightened slightly at the sound of Mason's name, but then returned to her gloomy mood. She led out a whimper. Mr. Pines sighed and kissed his daughter's cheek.

When the sun set completely behind the horizon, Stan and Mr. Pines returned to the parking lot near the visitor center, and drove off back home.

"Well, that was some quality family bonding," Stan said as the car got off the Golden Gate Bridge.

"Yeah. It's nice to get to know you more," Mr. Pines replied.

Stan tensed up at the phrase "know you more", but shook it off. "And even though Mabel was upset during the whole day, I felt like I have bonded with her more."

"Next time, let's make sure she and Mason stay together," Mr. Pines responded. "The only time she is _actually_ upset is when she is separated from her brother."

The car ride seemed uneventful. The streetlights and cars' headlights had all been turned on, and one can see the lights coming from downtown San Francisco.

Stan is in the back row admiring the scenery. He had seen San Francisco once when he and his nephew drove towards the recreation area, but that was doing daytime; at night, San Francisco, from his opinion, looked beautiful in a completely different way. In his arms held Mabel, and he occasionally stroked the sleeping infant.

Mr. Pines is driving down the road when he stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, he sped up to cross the intersection.

A massive bang can be heard. Suddenly Mr. Pines' sedan is spinning violently. Before either of the grown occupants could comprehend what is happening, the car's rear end crashed into a mailbox, halting the vehicle and spilling envelopes all over the sidewalk.

Fortunately Mr. Pines and Stan are unhurt, and, surprisingly, the crash did not wake up Mabel; she is still sleeping comfortably in Stan's arms.

"Is Mabel okay?" Mr. Pines finally spoke. All he cared about at the moment is the well-being of his daughter.

"She's fine," Stan said shakily. "She's still sleeping."

"Who has the nerve to crash into us?!" Mr. Pines suddenly descended into anger. He unfastened his seat belt and exited the car. Stan followed suit, holding the infant girl. Mr. Pines marched over to the car that rammed into them; it sat in the middle of the intersection with the hood section almost completely busted.

The window of the car rolled down revealing a teenager at the driver's seat.

"You! Young man!" Mr. Pines shouted at the driver. "Don't you know that I was carrying a baby and an elderly person?!"

"I'm not even 50 years old yet, by golly!" Stan said, offended that his nephew referred to him as "elderly".

Mr. Pines paid no attention to his uncle. He continued scolding the young, inexperienced driver. "You're lucky none of us got hurt! Or else you would be in _big_ trouble!"

"P-Please forgive me, sir," the teenager said, frightened by Mr. Pines' attitude. "I…I…thought it was still g-green light!"

Two police cars drove up to the accident area. After fifteen minutes of explanation and police documentation, the teenage driver who crashed into Mr. Pines was charged with speeding, red light running, and driving under the legal age. The police took the boy into custody as Mr. Pines' sedan and the boy's stolen car got towed away.

At the street corner, Mr. Pines dialed his wife to notify her of what has happened. He was met with the sound of a baby crying on the other end. Mabel woke up from the sound of her brother, started whimpering and again tried reaching for the phone. Mason on the other end stopped crying upon hearing his sister.

"Oh gosh, are you okay?! Is Mabel okay?!" Mrs. Pines shouted frantically after Mr. Pines said that he got into an accident.

"We're all fine, dear. No one's hurt," Mr. Pines said. "Some teenager without a learner's permit was driving his parents' car and rammed into mine. Now we have no sort of transportation to get back! It's ten at night and we're stuck in the middle of the downtown!"

"Why not go to use the BART to get back home?" Mrs. Pines suggested.

"The section that runs across the bay is currently closed!" Mr. Pines exclaimed. "I read it in this morning's paper. That section would be temporarily out of service this week for 'maintenance'. What 'maintenance' does it need?!"

"Oh dear, what _can_ you do?" Mrs. Pines said concerned.

"I don't know. I think we might have to stay at a hotel for the night. It's too late for bus or taxi services, so…we are pretty much stranded!"

"Okay, then. I'll tell your boss that you would be taking the day off tomorrow." Mrs. Pines said.

"Okay. Thanks. I love you," And with that, Mr. Pines hung up the phone. Mabel again could no longer hear Mason's whimpers on the other end, and resumed crying.

"I'm sorry Mabel, but we're going to have to stay overnight somewhere," Mr. Pines said apologetically to his daughter. Mabel slapped her dad.

"Yes, I…understand you miss your brother," Mr. Pines said rubbing his cheek. "But what else could I do?"

Mr. Pines and Stan checked in at a nearby motel. It's not easy for the two men to sleep; Mabel continued to cry. Nothing worked; feeding her (in which all the food given to her were thrown back onto the men's faces), giving the stuffed unicorn to her, and even changing her clean diaper.

At around one in the morning, Stan could not take the sound of his crying niece anyone and decided the only way to put her to sleep is for her to hear her brother. He dialed the Pines' household from their room's phone. As he expected, the first thing he could hear when the other end picked up is Mason crying.

"Hello? Stan? Is that you?" Mrs. Pines inquired.

"Yes, it's me, Stan," Stan replied as he tried to listen and talk over the two babies crying. "Mabel is still crying."

"So is Mason. I can't put him to sleep no matter what!"

"I think the only way for them to let us sleep is to let the two hear each other. I noticed that the two stop crying whenever we call you."

"Why haven't I thought of that? I'll be right back. You go get Mabel."

Stan put the phone down and went over to the specially prepared crib that Mabel is in. He picked her up, albeit uneasily, and carried her over to the phone. Stan pressed the loudspeaker button. Upon hearing Mason sobbing, Mabel stopped crying herself.

"I'm back," Mrs. Pines said. "Wait, did Mabel just stop crying?"

"Put your phone on loudspeaker! It would be easier that way!"

Stan held Mabel near the phone as she continued mumbling baby gibberish. Dipper immediately stopped crying when he heard his sister.

"How long is this going to take?" Mr. Pines grumbled. He literally has no experience with crying babies; the past few hours were actually the first time he has had to deal with a weeping child. He could even count the number of times Mabel and Mason has ever cried since they were born almost a year ago.

Mabel spoke out some more gibberish. Mason on the other end of the phone line started laughing. Mabel in turn also started laughing. After a few more minutes of the two "interacting" through the phone, both of them got put to sleep.

"Mason is asleep now," Mrs. Pines said. "Is Mabel asleep as well?"

"Yep," Stan said. "Good night."

"Good night."

Stan hung up the phone and put Mabel back into her crib. Stan flicked off the bedside lamp, and both he and Mr. Pines fell asleep almost instantly.

The next day, Stan and Mr. Pines ate the complimentary breakfast served by the motel and checked out. As expected, Mabel is again crying.

The two men hailed a taxi and requested to be taken back to Piedmont. The trip is being made very long and torturous by Mabel constantly crying, the usual heavy traffic on the Bay Bridge, and the driver being unfamiliar with the East Bay.

After finally arriving back at Piedmont after almost an hour, Mr. Pines gave the taxi driver double the tip for his patience with the crying baby. The taxi driver snatched the money, stuffed it into his pocket, and drove off once Mr. Pines slammed the side door. Apparently he is not so patient anymore.

Mr. Pines and Stan entered the house and found Mrs. Pines trying to soothe Mason, who is also crying heavily.

"You're back!" Mrs. Pines exclaimed. She got up holding Mason.

As soon as the twin infants saw each other, they both stopped crying. They started whimpering and tried reaching for the other.

"It's nice to be back," Mr. Pines said. He and his wife exchanged kisses, and both of them set the babies down on the couch.

Mabel immediately crawled over to her brother and rubbed herself against him. Mason placed his lips on Mabel's forehead – his signature kiss for his sister. Mabel chuckled softly, and then started snoring. Dipper also got put to sleep by the soothing sound of his sister. Their parents and Stan are relieved to see the kids finally reunited.

"Well, if we learned one thing, it would be to never separate the two. Or else our lives would become nightmares," Mr. Pines said.

"Agreed," Stan said. "Even as they mature, they should have each other through thick and thin."

Thursday, August 31, 2000. 10:05 AM.

Stan and Mr. and Mrs. Pines are sitting around the dining table. The twins are sitting side-by-side in adjacent baby seats, and in front of them is a cake with a candle shaped as the number one lit on it.

The three adults in unison all sang "Happy Birthday" to the twins. The two babies don't know what is happening, but are otherwise happy.

Mr. Pines got out a camera to take a picture of the twins with the cake. At the last moment, however, Stan rushed behind the twins and got captured in the photo as well. Mr. and Mrs. Pines laughed at the sudden action made by Stan, and decided to use that photo in their family album.

8:00 PM, Monday, September 4, 2000.

The elevator doors opened. Stan walked into his brother's laboratory. He placed his lantern on the desk facing the portal and sat down. From his suit he took out a photo frame containing the picture Mr. Pines took on the twins' birthday. He put that on the stand and put the original photo of the twins into his coat.

Stan sighed. He made a good long look at the photo, and then over at the portal.

"Oh Stanford," Stan said out loud sadly. "If only you were here to see your niece and nephew," Stan felt a tear slide down his face. "If only you were here…to see how much I have failed trying to get you back."

Stan took off his glasses, put his head down onto the table, and started crying into his arms.

 **Gravity Falls** ** _was created by Alex Hirsch and produced by Disney Television Animation. All characters and related media belong to Disney._**


End file.
